Sap

Joshua threw the front door open with a crash, coming into the home so fast he nearly fell over the small table where they ate all their meals. James thought he must have run all the way home. Sweat shone on his forehead, and he was doubled over, breathing hard.

"I have it, Mother! It's finally here!" he said between great gulping breaths. He held up a white envelope bearing the seal of the Medical Entitlements Division.

"Oh, thank God!" Mother said, snatching the envelope from his hand. "Don't take your shoes off, son. We'll head over to the Druggist right away. James, dinner is cooking on the stove. Give the pot a stir now and then. Get Father water if he asks. We'll be back in an hour."

"Yes, ma'am," James replied. He was in awe of Mother. She has been moving non-stop for the last two weeks. Taking care of Father during the day and mending overalls and aprons from the plant during the nights. Her exhaustion, so great that it hung in the air like fog, evaporated at the sight of the envelope. Her apron was hung, shoes were slipped on, foreheads were kissed, and then in a blur, she was gone, dragging Joshua behind her.

Mother could see the worry in the faces of her children across the table. A completely different pharmacy had been put on the voucher, and the Druggist had to refuse it. Joshua lost his temper when the poor man tried to explain what kind of trouble he could get into if he attempted to redeem another store's voucher. It had taken most of the walk home for Joshua to calm down. Mother was also angry, but she understood. The whole neighborhood would suffer if the Collective shut down the pharmacy and the Druggist wasn't willing to risk it. Now they had to arrange for a trip they probably couldn't afford to make.

"What are we supposed to do now, Mother? The other place is pretty far away, isn't it?" asked James.

"Yes, yes it is. But, if we want Father to feel better, I have to go. If I leave early enough, I should make it back by the evening."

"But, don't you work tonight? Why don't I go instead? I'm nearly 17 and plenty fast. You could sleep in the morning, and I could probably make it there and back before you woke up!" Joshua suggested.

"No, no, I'll be fine. I'll sleep tomorrow when I get home. I'll ask Mrs. Basil for the evening off, it shouldn't be a problem. I need you here tomorrow. The factory folk will be coming to pick up the heavy aprons I mended for them. You make sure they pay us what we're owed," She replied, knowing he would remember the last time they came for a pickup.

"Well, okay, I'm bigger than those guys. I'll make sure they pay us right, but are you sure it's a good idea to go alone? Could Janey go with you?" Joshua asked.

"That's Ms. Escuela to you, Joshua, and no, she cannot. Her mother-in-law is nearly as sick as your father. I'll take James. That way, he's out of your hair, and I'm not alone," she replied.

"Really? I can go?" said James, Eyes open wide.

"Absolutely," she said, "Be ready to leave right after sun up, it's a long walk to Bagtown, and I'd like to be there by lunch."

James was up with the sun getting dressed in his nicest summer clothes, worn grey pants and a faded red shirt that was now too small for Joshua. Mother was at the counter making a couple of sandwiches for their lunch. She had put on her green cotton dress and her necklace with the heart-shaped locket for the trip.

"Breakfast is on the table. Eat up. If we leave now, we may be able to make it home for supper," said Mother.

"Yes, ma'am," answered James.

James was nearly finished with his toast when Joshua came shuffling into the room, looking for his breakfast.

"Just coffee, then?" he asked when he saw the bread was gone.

"Yes, I'm sorry, hun. We needed sandwiches. I gave Father a full dose of his medicine last night, so he should be fine for you to run down to the corner and get some more after the men come. The money for it is here on the counter. James, get your shoes on. We need to leave," she answered hurriedly. She disappeared into the bedroom for a moment, came back out, and waited by the door for James to finish lacing up his shoes, and then they were off.

That damnable sun was too bright. The heat was bad enough, but the bright, too much, the Raider thought as he rested in an alleyway off the main road through Bagtown. His already foul mood only deepened when he reached for another hit of sap from the pouch on his belt. There was only one left. Did he really have that much last night? He couldn't remember, so it seemed likely.

He gave the package a squeeze, and with a pop, the thick, amber liquid slid onto his tongue. The shudder that ran through him was involuntary. The taste was something you never got used to, but the feeling that came after, oh, that made the repugnant flavor worthwhile, even if it was short-lived. Within minutes, colors seemed more vibrant, he heard sounds more sharply, his pains were dulled. Sap made all the beautiful things around him for the taking because he felt powerful, and the powerful took what they wanted.

What did he want? He looked around the trash-strewn alley. Only garbage and shattered brick from a broken wall. Nothing in here was worth his attention. It was then he heard the woman laugh. A giggle with a golden edge. When the woman finally came into view, he found a reason to leave his shaded shelter. He watched the angel in the green dress slide into the store across the street and knew he would have her. So what if the boy-thing following her had seen him? He was powerful.

The inside of the shop was cool and dark, especially after coming off the street at midday. James glad for the change, but the dirty man in uniform he had spied in the alley frightened him. He wanted to tell Mother about what he saw but thought better of it. She was in such a good mood, and he had no intention of spoiling that with worry.

A tired-looking man came out from the back of the store at the chime of the door. He seemed to be only a little older than mother and father, wearing a white frock with small square glasses. A kind smile warmed his face when he saw them approach the counter.

"Hello there, young lady, young sir. What can I do for you today?" he asked.

"We're here to redeem this voucher," said Mother, handing the man the envelope.

"Hmmm, I see. You two sure are a long way from home. It'll take a little while to fill this. It's just me here today. I hope that's alright," said the Druggist.

"Yes, that's fine," Mother replied, "I would like to make it home before sundown..."

"Oh, no worries, I only need 15 or 20 minutes. Here, take this chocolate bar on me while you wait," he said, handing James the candy with a wink and disappearing through the door into the back,

"Goodbye, have a safe walk home, you hear?" the Druggist called after them as they walked out the door. Even the heat and the Bagtown streets couldn't bring them down now. They were just a few hours away from things getting back to normal for the first time in several weeks. The pair crossed the street in front of the pharmacy. James popped the last square of chocolate into his mouth and rushed ahead to kick an old can resting on the sidewalk, smiling from ear to ear. The scary man from before, forgotten in the excitement. Neither of them saw the Raider slip out of the alley until it was too late. Powerful arms grabbed Mother from behind and dragged her, screaming into the darkness.

James turned in time to see Mother disappear around to corner and into the alley and ran after her, yelling for help. By the time James made it to where his mother and her attacker were, her screams had stopped. The man was still on top of her, shaking her with his hands around her throat, muttering angrily about golden angel giggles. James stood dumbfounded. His infinitely strong mother, the woman that even illness and abject poverty could bring down, brought low by this sap-brained lunatic! In the uniform of the Bagtown Raiders, no less! Hatred and anger overwhelmed the disbelief and fear in James. He picked up a large piece of brick and ran at the man, screaming a wordless battle cry.

James jumped on the Raider's back, bringing the brick down on the surprised man's head again and again. The man rolled off Mother, knocking James off his back. James did not back off. He rushed the stunned man again, this time striking the Raider's eye with the jagged edge of the brick. The man let out a howl of pain that could be heard for block and rolled on the floor of the alley, hands covering his face. James pressed his attack. He would kill this thing that had taken his mother away.

If it had not been for the sap, the first few blows to the head would have knocked him out instead of stunning him. The pain that shot through him when that little monster tried to gouge his eye out had cleared his foggy mind. The boy came at him again, meaning to bash his skull more, leave him dead as the woman with his head split open. He rolled over onto his side, still yelling, waiting for the kid to swing again. The boy obliged, bringing the arm with the bloodied brick down once more, the man caught it. He quickly sat up, wrenching the brat's arm back, hearing the satisfying crunch of breaking bone as he threw the kid against the alley wall. The man fell, got up, and fell again. He looked over at the woman on the ground and the boy against the wall. Neither were moving. He was losing a lot of blood. Felt woozy. Needed stitching.

The man crawled to his feet and staggered out of the alley and across the street to the pharmacy. The drugman would patch him up. He always did.

The Druggist was sweeping the floor by the window when he heard the scream. He saw the woman being dragged into the alleyway by a man he recognized. He watched the young boy run after his mother. He listened as terrified screams gave way to a cacophony of cries of anger and howls of pain. The silence was the most terrible of all. His heart sank when he saw the man, the Raider, come tumbling out of the alley alone. The boy and his mother were undoubtedly dead.

"Help me, Whitecoat! Help me, you have to! HE GOT MY EYE!" the bloody thing shouted from the door.

The Druggist helped the Raider up and led him to a chair in the backroom.

"Wait here for a moment. I need to get my kit.

"Just hurry. The little bastard took my eye. But I got him. I got him, alright." the Raider said.

The Druggist returned shortly with a needle and promptly injected the man in his chair.

"No more," the Druggist whispered as he withdrew the needle.

The quiet death was too good for this monster, the Druggist thought later, as he dragged the Raider back into the alley, where three bodies would cast no suspicion on him.